Electric transportation system.



0.3.8; J. F. MoLEER. ELBGTRIG TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

' APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26, 1911.

Patented Mar. 10, 191i 2 8HEETB-SEEBT 1.'

c. B. & I. F. MoLEER.

ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM. APPLIOATION FILED MAY 26, 1911..

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

li-l mi IIIII 3 4 Q \I III "I CHARLES B. MCLEER AND JOSEPH F. McLEER, O F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO ELECTRIC CARRIER COMPANY, OF DELAWARE. V

ELECTRIC TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.

'nosoyrze.

Specification of Letters Patent.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, CHARLES B. MoLnER and JOSEPH F. McLnER, citizens of the United States, and residents of Brooklyn, New York, have invented certain Improvements in Electric Transportation Systems, oflwhich the following is a specification.

. One objectof our invention is to provide a thoroughly practical and efficient electrical transportation systemof the general type described and claimed in the patents to Franklin S. Smith, No. 859,018, 'and No. 859,019, dated July 2, 1907; it being particularly desired that the stationary as well as the movable elements of said system shall be of a substantial and thoroughly mechanical construction such for example as will meet the requirements of an intercity parcel transfer system, as well as' one designed to transport packages between Widely sepa' rated points of the same building or clty. These objects and other advantageous ends We secure as hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the in which Figure 1, is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the incl'osing casing and its associated parts forming the stationary elelnent'of a transportation system constructed Q strips or bars electrically connectin their adjacent ends. Similarly, between t e side 3 bars or rails 5 opposite the rails 4, there is according to our invention; Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section on the line a u, Fig.

1; Fig. 3, is a side elevation of one of the movable elements forming part of our systom; Fig. 4, is an and elevation of the carvertical section of the carrier shown in Fig. 3 the same being taken on the line b-b,' Fig. 6, 1s a transverse vertlcal section, illustrating a double track form of our invening and inclosing casing 1, preferably in the form of a closed tube supported in any desired or suitable mannerupon frames or other foundations (not shown) whose construction may be varied as the requlrements 'of" any particular case may dictate. At intervals within this tube are mounted annular supporting ribs 2 lying in transverse planes to brace ard strengthen said tube as well to serve as the means for directly supporting a track or tracks 3 which extend accompanying drawings, :rece tion of the portions between the slots j oft e, bar 9; it being noted that this struclongitudinally through the tube adjacent the bottom thereof. In addition these ribs also serve to support two pairs of rails or tracks 4.- and 5 mounted at opposite. sides of the tube 1 and there are also at the top of the. latter two conductors 6 and 7 in theshape of bars or rails, electrically insulated from the ribs and therefore from each other, as well as from. the tubular casing, by plates of insulating material 8. Between the side rails 4 is mounted a longitudinally extending laminatedbar-like structure 9 electrically insulated from the ribs by a plate or other body of non-con: ducting material 10, and vertically slotted as shown, for the reception of an electrical conductor 11 which w1th it constitutes one 7 of the secondaries or fixed motor members of the electrical part of the system. Said conductor 11, which broadly considered,

1 forms a Winding and will hereafter be designated as such, is preferably constructed of an elongated copper sheet or bar punched to provide a series of vertical slots for the ture is thus in effect composed of a series of copper bars mounted in the slots of the said bar 9, with longitudinally extending copper mounted a second longitudinally extending laminated and slotted bar .12 insulated from rior shown in Fig; 3; Fig. 5, is a transverse the, supporting ribs by non-conducting material 10 and having mounted in its slots what may be described as a developed s uirrel cage winding 13 similar to that provided by the conductor 11 of the bar 9. It Is understood that the various rails as well as the laminated bars 9' and 12 and the conductors 6 and 7 are connected to their supportlng rib structures 2 in any desired and suitable manner necessary to provide a substantial and practical device, although such detall features have been omitted from the present Patented Mar. 10,1914

drawings since, in themselves, they constitute no part of the'present invention.

The movable elements of the system, of which there may be any desired number,

.each preferably consists of two parallel end plates 14 and 15 connected by two parallel side plates 16. Said end plates may be formed with lugs 17 extending toward each other at the lower-portions thereof for the purpose of supporting a suitable floor or for holding an independent container 17 in which are placed articles to be transported.

As shown in Figs. 3 and 4, each of the end plates '14 and 15 has two pairs of outwardly projecting bearing brackets 18 in which are journaled spindles or axles 19 carrying flanged wheels 20. These latter project below the plane of the lowest portions' of the carrier structure and are spaced to operate on the bottom tracks or. rails 3. Two other pairs of outwardly projecting bearing brackets 21 are mounted at each side of the top portionsof each of the end plates 14 and 15, although in this instance windings form the secondaries. Each of the each pair of said brackets is electrically" insulated from the frame ofthe carrier and from the adjacent pair of brackets by a sheet of'insula-tin material 22. Each of these brackets 21 as an upwardly opening slot carrying a bearing 23 mounted on a spring 24, and the bearings o-f-each pair of t e brackets serve'to support a spindle 25 carrying a contact wheel 26 projecting above the top of the carrier so-as to engage one of the conductor rails 6' or 7 as the case may be.

- ach of the bearings 23 for the spindles of the conductor wheels 26 and the casting of which the brackets 21 preferably thou h not necessarily form av part, are electricafiy connectedby means of a flexible conductor 27. Extending longitudinally of the carrier.

and mounted on the side members 16 thereof are two laminated slotted structures 28 and 29 held in place by any suitable means and provided with windings 30 arranged in the manner .well known in the art and common in various forms of induction motors; it being understood that these laminated structures 28 and 29 with their windings constitute motor members forming the primaries of an alternating current motive power device of which the bars 9 and 12 with their sets of windings 3D is preferably in electrical connection with the brackets 21 at op 0- site ends of the'carrier and on that side thereof adjacent its particular laminated structure 28 or 29, as the case may be.

In order to properly position the carrier within the casing 1 relatively to the various fixed structures mounted therein, we provide it with upper and lower sets of guide rollers or wheels 31 and 32, mounted on spindles carried in suitable bearings formed 1n lugs projecting from the side members 16; there being in the present instance three upper and three lower wheels on each side so placed as to be' directly opposite and capable of engaging, the rails or tracks 1 and 5 extending along the sides of the casing 1.

The particular apparatus described and illustrated having been designed for a system operating on three-phase alternating current, two ends of the winding 30 are respectively connected to the two contact wheels 26 at one end of the carrier, and also with the wheels 26 at the opposite end of the carrier, so that each winding end is connected to a wheel at each end of said carrier. The third end of the winding in the slots of the structures 28 and 29 is grounded on the frame of the carrier and is hence in electrical connection with the supporting wheels 20. Under operating conditions,

therefore, the rails 3, 6 and 7 are res ectively' connected to the three conductors o a threephase supply circuit, so that when the carrier is properly mounted in the casing 1 and the necessary controllingswitches are closed, it is caused to fnove longitudinally through said casing by reason of the reaction occurring between the stationary motor members 9-11, and 1213 carried by the casing, and their co-acting motor members 28 and 29 with the windings mounted therein supported upon the carrier structure. Under these conditions the rails 3 not only support the movable carrier but also serve as one of the conductors for supplying current to the windings of said carrier. The side rollers or wheels 31 and 32 co-act with the side rails or tracks 4 and -5 to keep the carrier properly centered in the casing and hence maintain its slotted structures 28 and 29 with their windings at the proper distance fromthe laminated bars 9 and 12 which, as above noted, extend continuously through the casing.

By the use of the springs 24, the contactand 15 and resting upon the flanges or lugs 16 and 17. It is, however, obvious that the form of the frame, as well as the shape of the container carried thereby, may be widely varied to suit difierent conditions without in'any way departing from our invention.

As shown in Fig. 6, the casing may be given the form indicated at 1" so as to accommodate wo complete sets of support-- ing tracks 3, fixed motor elements 9 and 12 and the various conducting and guiding tracks. For this purpose the ribs are given the form indicated at 2" so as to properly support these various upper and lower-spaces between the elongated cylindrical spaces for the reception members and in the ma ma a of the carriers, we may'place conduits 4:1 and 42 for the reception of electrical conductors or for any purpose.

-While the two sets of fixed motor elements and those portions of the casing, which, while belonging to the two sets-of tracks, are immediately adjacent to each other, may be constructed as shown in Fig. 2,'we may provide a single fixed motor member having windings on its opposite faces and support the same in position to cooperate with the windings of a carrier on either of the two tracks. In such case we mount a singlelongitudinally extending laminated structure 43 on the supporting structure provided by the ribs and construct it with slots in its two opposite vertical faces. Each of these sets of slots is provided with conductors or windings in the form of a punched cast or slotted copper or other conducting plate as V in the cases heretofore described.

members of our system as a carrier, it is to be understood that it is not necessarily so constructed as toitself invariably serve to directly support material to be transported,

since itmay without departing from our invention be used .as a motor car or locomot1ve 1n connectlon with one or more trailers.

The motor members or elements supported on the opposite sides of the carrier standpoint.

serve in this position to balance the same to someextent on its supporting track and are maintained at the necessary predetermineddistances from the adjacent surfaces of the,

motor members 9 and 12 with their closed circuit windin so as to insure the proper operation of t The various su porting, guidin and current collecting w eels or rollers ave their spindles preferably mounted in ball bearings so as to reduce the frictional losses to a I minimum. 1 a

While the fixed motor members are shown as mounted along the sides of the casing, "it

is obvious-that they may be placed in other positions and the motor members of the carrier correspondingly shifted without dc parting from our invention. 7

We claim 1 1. The combination in an electric transportation system of acasing having interior e system from an electr1calv elther guiding structure; wmdmgs on the ribs providing passageways; a track in each of said passageways carried by said ribs; motor members mounted on the'ribs on opposite sides of each of said passageways; a carrier having motive power means placed to cooperate with said motor members of the passageways to cause said carrier to be propelled on said tracks through the same; with 1 a conduit mounted on the ribs within the casing but outside of the passageways thereof.

.2. The combination in an electric transportation system of a carrier consisting of a container having supporting wheels; laminated structures mounted on opposite sides of said container and provided with windings'; contacts on the carrier electrically connected to said windings; a supporting and guiding structure for the carrier; supply conductors placed to be engaged by the contacts on the carrier and connected to a source of alternating current supply; laminated structures mounted adjacent said supporting structure; and closed circuit conductors on said laminated structures.

3. An electric transportation system consisting of a supporting structure; a movable carrier; guiding means therefor; and an.

electric motive power device for actuating said carrier, the same consisting of an elon-V gated laminated and transversely grooved member mounted on the supporting structure; an elongated plate formed of electrical conducting material slotted to form' transverse elements and mounted with said elements inthe grooves of the laminated member; and windings on the carrier connected to a source of alternating current supply and placed tov cooperate withthe elongated member to cause movement of said carrier on said guiding means.

c 4. An electric transportation system consisting of two sets of carrier uiding structures; means for supporting t e same adjacent each other; a carrier movable on said guiding structures; and motive power means for propelling the carrier consisting of a guiding structures and a fixed motor member mounted to cooperate with a carrier on member; carriers movably mounted to operate adjacent the elongatedmember, said carriers having windings placed to cooperate with the elongated ember and its conductfixed motor member adjacent each set of p 12s" elements in the grooves of said elongated transversely grooved. member of magnetic material extending longitudinally through said casing and supported on the ribs; an

elongated plate of electrical conducting material slotted to form transverse conducting elements and mounted with said elements in the grooves of said elongated member; tracks in the casing; and carriers movable on the tracks adjacent the elongated mem- 'ber; windings on the carriers placed to co- 1:;

operate with the elongated member and its conducting plate; and a source of alternating current supply connected ;w1th said windings.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our ,20 names to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. B. McLEER. JOSEPH F. MCLEER.

Witnessesz' EDWARD MCLEER,'J1.,

J AMES KENNEY. 

